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SongsCarol of the Bells (Shchedryk)
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Mykola Leontovych, “Shchedryk”, 1916. The melody is public domain; the later English lyric is not used here.

61 keys · C2–C7, five octaves · The usual home keyboard — five octaves, enough for nearly everything written for two hands.

Tap a key, or slide along them for a glissando. On a keyboard the letters on the keys are the ones to press — Z to M are the white keys from middle C with S, D, G, H and J the black ones between them, and Q to P are the octave above; the arrow keys move both rows an octave, and Space is the sustain pedal.

PianoFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Piano Letter Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the piano as easy letter notes for the right hand, with do-re-mi under every note and set up above on the 61 keys. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the piano waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeE4–A5
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a piano play Carol of the Bells?

Yes — every size on this page plays it. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • 49 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it
  • 61 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · loaded above
  • 88 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it

Carol of the Bells: piano letter notes

The large line is the key’s letter; a dot over it is the octave above middle C’s, a dot under it the octave below; the small line under it is the same note in do-re-mi. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

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Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) — piano letter notes (61 keys) · tonalics.com

Carol of the Bells letter notes as text

The same notes as plain text, one phrase to a line, to copy into a message or a document. A letter on its own is in the octave that starts on the C above middle C (C5). A letter with a number is in that numbered octave: B4 is the B just below the C above middle C. A comma marks a long note.

C, B4 C A4, C, B4 C A4, C, B4 C A4, C, B4 C A4
E, D E C, E, D E C, E, D E C, E, D E C
A, A A G F E, E E D C D, D D E D A4
A4 A4 A4, E4 F♯4 G♯4 A4 B4 C D E D, C, E4 F♯4 G♯4
A4 B4 C D E D, C, C, B4 C A4, C, B4 C A4, C
B4 C A4, C, B4 C A4, A4, E, D E A4

Is there a both-hands version?

Not of Carol of the Bells, on this page. The left hand here is made by rule — three chords, one hand position — and it is only offered where that rule can be checked against a published harmonisation and agrees with it on most bars. This melody has no barred score in its sources to hang the chords on. The right hand above is the whole tune.

The 11 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 11 and you can play the whole tune.

  • EMi×2
  • F♯Fa♯×2
  • G♯Sol♯×2
  • ALa×16
  • BSi×10
  • C•Do×25
  • D•Re×14
  • E•Mi×16
  • F•Fa×1
  • G•Sol×1
  • A•La×3

What to expect on a piano

  • It runs from E4 to A5, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 28 semitones unused below and 15 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 33.
  • It needs 2 black keys: F♯4 and G♯4. Everything else is on the white keys.
  • It covers 11 white keys, more than the five a hand rests on, so the right hand has to move or stretch — more than once.

About the tune

The Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych wrote “Shchedryk” for unaccompanied choir, built on a four-note folk chant sung at the New Year; it was first performed in Kyiv in 1916. A touring Ukrainian choir brought it to the United States in the early 1920s, where English words about bells were later written for it. Leontovych died in 1921 and his music is in the public domain; the English lyric is not, and is not used here.

Mykola Leontovych, “Shchedryk”, 1916. The melody is public domain; the later English lyric is not used here. The notes follow Wikipedia, “Shchedryk (song)” (engraved score). More about Carol of the Bells →

Carol of the Bells on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the kalimba, mbira, guzheng, handpan, erhu, dulcimer, ocarina, harp or lyre, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the piano

All 36 piano songs · Christmas songs for piano · The online piano on its own

Playing it on a real piano?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The piano tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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